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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · chest · foot · court · trunk · leaves

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. court — of law
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bore — to tire
  6. foot — a measure
  7. chest — of your body
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. court — of a king
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. court — for sport
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bore — to drill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com